


Protector

by slutforcavill



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: F/M, Geralt of Rivia is a softie, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher: Betrayer Moon, The curse of the striga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:02:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29615403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slutforcavill/pseuds/slutforcavill
Summary: Set in episode three of the Witcher where Geralt goes to Temeria to take down the striga, and reader is his companion, and his friend, although Geralt never admits it.When Geralt and the reader are each other's silent protectors, what else do they need? Although they don't admit having each other is the best thing that has happened to them.warnings: Geralt is a soft, big bear with a heart that is full of love, only he doesn't like admitting it. **I tried to add fluff, I really did
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Reader
Kudos: 40





	Protector

"No."

"No? You do realize I'm still going to follow you, right?" You blinked, running a hand through your messy hair, only to let your fingers get entangled into them, making you groan silently. As if the broody Witcher wasn't enough for you to be able to handle, add the rustling winds into the picture and your hair were already resembling a hen's nest.

"I can handle it," Geralt grumbled under his breath, his baritone deep and low.You shook your head, more at the obvious stubbornness of the white haired man next to you, making you pause for a moment. It was only when you looked up, you realized that Geralt had kept walking, and was now, almost ten steps ahead of you. You muttered a resolute curse under your breath, as you picked up pace and darted after your companion of fifty two days, to be exact.

"You're thankless, Witcher. I saved your ass a dozen times too," you huffed, finally catching up to him, as you grabbed the edge of his armour to try and slow him down but he didn't, "What makes you think you can take that thing down alone?"

Geralt craned his neck slightly to give you a look but he did not utter a word. Instead, you were greeted by his monotonous grunt and you gave him a coy smile,"I know what you're thinking, Witcher. Can I say it?"

  
He raised an eyebrow, almost and regarded you for a second through his golden orbs before he turned his face back towards the direction he was walking towards, muttering under his breath, "Will you not say it if I say no?"

  
You shook your head, almost like a twelve year old trapped in a body of a twenty five year old, "Not really. Now can I say it?"

Geralt groaned in fake annoyance, kicking a pebble that he spotted on the ground, a hint of a smirk breaking out against his lips, that he knew you couldn't see as you weren't really paying attention.

"Well you must be thinking," you suddenly changed your voice into a lower note, almost making yourself a fake Geralt baritone, "I should have let her be eaten by the wyvern. Why the hell did I save her life? Now she is stuck to me like gum."

  
Geralt's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but look down and shake his head, "Hm."

  
"You weren't."

  
" _Do you ever stop talking_?"

  
You did that thing with your lips, pushing your upper lip upwards in retaliation to his words, and Geralt just took a deep breath and he turned away from you, a faint smile still draped over his lips, the smile only dropping when the castle was finally in sight.

"Stay out here."

  
"But I told you—"

  
Geralt raised his palm in the air, in front of you before you could fight him on this. He had already made up his mind, he wasn't going to put you at risk. He knew you were skilled, and he knew your father had always wanted a son, a son who could fight a battle, yield a sword, and spill blood. But he had instead gotten you. He taught you all those things though, skilling you in his to hold a sword, and just how to use a sword to silence the enemy, and you were pretty good at it.

However whatever it was, lurking inside the castle was something Geralt never wanted you to face. Maybe it was fear, a fear of losing you to whatever the hell it was, and an ounce of doubt on himself, the what ifs, what if he couldn't keep you from harm's way and what if something happened to you.

"I'm coming with you," you announced, only to receive an animalistic growl from the Witcher. "It's daylight, and that thing doesn't usually attack during the day. I should be safe. Besides, you need my help, because although you do excel in bodily strength, you're in an obvious lack of brains."

  
"I should have _left_ you with that wyvern," Geralt spat, a hint of an amusement calling out of his tone as he began walking into the castle and you followed.

* * *

The structure was exactly like you had expected it to be, dirty and dinghy, cobwebs dangling everywhere, and it was difficult to breath, but you didn't complain as you followed the Witcher around, from one room to another, investigating. The hallways were dark, dinghy and you could smell the death, even without the Witcher's sense of hearing, making you wonder for a split second, what Geralt was actually feeling. He was walking next to you, his eyes fixed on the surroundings while you were looking at the dried blood trails that decorated the floor of the hallway. In one corner, you spotted a decaying head of a human being, and something churned inside your gut, forcing you to look away.

"You can still leave," his loud voice ensnared towards you, and you involuntarily grabbed the fabric of your sleeves, curling them into your fingers, shaking your head.

"This really doesn't scare me, Wolf. It will take a lot more than that to actually scare me," you lied through your lips. Who were you kidding, he could feel the racing of your heart, and the signs that you were actually afraid, of the unknown, unlike him but he also knew that you were the most stubborn woman he had come across, and although he never admitted; this was one of the things he had grown to like about you, that, and the fact that your mouth was the exact opposite of his, something that never stopped moving. Your talkativeness was refreshing to him, and he could keep listening to your useless banter for hours and not get bored with it. Not that he would ever openly admit that to you.

You looked at the massive portrait that hung from the wall, of Adda and Foltest, when they were children and you couldn't help but let thousands of thoughts fly through your mind. A lot didn't make sense at the back of your mind, but everything to you pointed towards Foltest being the father of the striga, a concern that you had already vouched to Geralt, and he did seem to agree.

The sound of Geralt kicking open a door pulled you out of your trance and you quickly entered Adda's bedroom after him, eyeing the state of unrest the room was in. The chandelier lay fallen on the floor, shards of glass broken and decorating the floor. The bed was unkempt, the sheets slept in, and musty.

You noticed Geralt stiffen when he saw the bed. You bit your lip, moving to the cabinet, running your hand along the dust coated surface of it when Geralt took a deep breath, and you understood what he was doing. You immediately turned, taking long steps towards him and you grabbed the leather of his sleeve, pulling him to turn towards you, your eyes searching for answers in his face, "You found out. You smelled it. What did you find?"

  
Geralt pursed his lips together, as he looked down at you, "Ostrit. I smell him in the sheets." You were startled by the revelation, your eyes almost popping out as you looked at the bed and blinked, the bits and pieces coming together in your mind. Of course.

You turned towards Geralt, your lips tugging upwards, "Not a pretty picture in your mind I suppose?"

"I never thought I'd ever have to picture his ass in the back of my mind," he looked at you, his voice gravelly, his baritone thick but you could sense the jest in his voice.

* * *

Anxiety was not a pretty picture, especially not when you couldn't keep your mind off Geralt. He had forcibly left you at the tavern, and although you had a massive pitcher of ale to drown in, you couldn't stop worrying about the big man, your palm laying flat against the table, your fingers tapping against the wood in nervousness and anxiousness.

Geralt's warning words still rang through your mind when he had asked you to stay here, and not step out of the tavern until he came back. In fact, what had made you angry at him as he left, you fuming from the inside that he had actually had the audacity to slip in some coins to the owner of the tavern, just to have eyes on you, so you didn't sneak out.

What you hadn't told the Witcher and neither did you plan on telling him was the fact that you had watched him die in your nightmare, just a few night back, and it was still haunting you, deep inside, no matter how hard you tried to shove the thoughts away from your brain, drowning yourself in ale. A lingering question was eating you up, what if your nightmare was actually a premonition? What if this was destiny's way of telling you something? What if something was going to happen to the White Wolf tonight? The striga, after all, did kill the other Witcher. How were you so sure she wouldn't overpower Geralt?

That's it, you slammed your palm against the table, almost knocking off the half empty pitcher. You grabbed it, and brought it up to your lips, chugging the contents of it all, like a man, until you slammed it back against the table. You stood up, pinching your nose as you confidently walked up to the owner of the tavern.

"How much coin did the Witcher pay you for keeping me trapped in here? What if I pay you double?"

  
The bald headed man looked at you, his gaze flicking to the pouch of your coins as you tossed it up and down in the air, the rattle of the coins echoing through his ears, making him lick his lips.

"Give me a ten, and run out of the back, not the front," he hissed, in a low voice.

" _Good man_ ," you smiled, as you loosened the noose of the pouch, pulling out a fistful of coins, that were in fact, more than ten, but you still laid them down on the counter, and the man hungrily placed both his hands on it, dragging them away from you. You winked at him, running a hand through your hair, as you turned around and started running towards the back, thinking how jealousy could be your downfall. A fist on the jaw from the Witcher, and all that coin would be used for fixing up his damn face.

A trail of blood leaked down his temple, the back of his head lay against the flooring as the striga climbed on top of him, her hollow, toothy mouth flared open as bits of drool fell on his face. The cursed being let out a shrill screech, her clawed hands grabbing the Witcher's armour as she lifted him up and slammed him hard against the floor again, and Geralt's sword fell from his hand, sliding inches away.

"I swear if you die on me, Witcher, I will never forgive you," you cursed under your breath, your sleeved palm wiping the base of your neck as sweat dripped down your chin, drop by drop. You were panting, gasping from air, your legs almost beginning to give away but you dared not stop, until you finally reached the castle. You began running up the front, when a loud, eerie screech resonated from somewhere inside and you were forced to draw out your sword.

"I swear I will never get bored of saving your ass, Geralt of Rivia," you spat as you ran inside, jumping over a half eaten arm of an unlucky man right at the entrance.

* * *

Geralt's eyes locked on yours, and he gave you a look that warned you of anything but happiness. He pursed his lips, his fists clenching as he began taking a step towards you. That's when you saw the thing, it was dangling from the wall, just above him.

"Geralt, look behind you!" You screamed loudly, throwing out your pointy finger towards the air but before he could, the striga pounced on him, making him land on the floor, on top of you, his face pressed between the valley of your breasts. If you weren't going to get killed, any time sooner, Geralt would have appreciated the dark humour that escaped your lips, the striga looking right into your eyes.

"What better way to die than a man's face pressed to my breasts— Aaaahhhh fuck.."The striga's knee pressed down hard against your shoulder and you swore you felt a crack of a bone or two as her monstrous hands came to rest on your throat. Her fingers slowly began squeezing the life out of you, your eyeballs almost bobbing out as you coughed, trying to gasp for air. Geralt tries to push himself as much as he could, his arm outstretched so he could grab your sword. "G-Geralt.. Ger.." Your vision was turning black, your mind already swimming in pain and confusion, owing to the pain in your shoulder, and the cut off of oxygen supply from your body.

His fingers finally reached the hilt of your sword, clasping against it. Fixing himself up on one of his elbows, as much as the creature on top of him allowed him to move, he struck the side of the striga's face with the hilt, the force being enough to knock her off for a bit disorienting her.

Geralt jumped up to his feet as he bent and slid his arms underneath your thigh, lifting you up into his arms as he charged towards the stone coffin like structure that lay in the center of the hall. Upon reaching it, he threw you inside like a sack of grain, without showing a tiny ounce of compassion or gentleness. You couldn't blame him though as the Striga was already charging in your direction now having recovered from Geralt's blow.

Geralt jumped into the structure just after you, and before the striga could get to the two of you, Geralt had managed to successfully move the slab over the top, covering the two of you up. He also secured it using a sign he made, an added protection so the Striga couldn't try and open it, even though she wanted to do it.

A breath escaped your lips. You could hear the cursed being screeching outside, as she tried to claw through the stone slab, trying to get it to open, but it didn't work. The pain in your shoulder was unbearable and the inside of the structure was cramped, and with the Witcher's heavy, bulky frame on top of you, it was hard to breathe. Yet, you were content.

Geralt didn't say anything for a few seconds, but his forehead rested against your other shoulder. You could feel the rise and the fall of his chest, and you could sense that his elbow was resting next to your head, as he struggled to keep the weight of his body as light as though afraid to crush you. You noted this soft gesture and you wanted to smile, but you couldn't, not when the throbbing of your shoulder was making tears prick into your eyes.

A few seconds turned to minutes, and Geralt's frown widened as he noticed how silent you were. You silence now being deafening to him as the screech now died down, making him assume that the Striga had given up on trying to pry open the structure and was now waiting for them to open up. Finally, the adrenaline turned into anger and Geralt's nostrils flared. He slammed his fisted palm into the stone next to your head but you didn't even wince,"Now you decide to stay quiet. I told you not to come."

  
You let out a warm gush of air from your lips, hitting Geralt right against his neck. He sighed, fluttering his lashes a little. He knew there was no point in arguing with you for you were a stubborn one.

"Funny, _I lost the coin_ ," he added, in a dry tone, trying his level best to lighten up. If the two of you were to stay stuck inside for a few more hours now then why not make a use of it? Although Geralt had never thought he would see a day when he would be the one trying to coax words out of your lips.

His frown widened and he sniffed lightly, and the more he concentrated, it didn't take him long to realize the metallic copper smell, that was almost too strong for his liking— the smell of blood. He tried to move adjust himself better so he could look down at you, and as he inclined himself, more towards your left shoulder, the smell worsened.

"Fuck, [Y/N]?" His otherwise low pitched, serious voice suddenly clouded with a sliver of worry, his hand came to rest against your forehead as two fingers swiped over your sweat drenched face. His fingers slid down to the side of your neck, and he felt your pulse and a sudden alarm fled him up. You had a pulse, but he could barely feel it, and the sound of your heartbeat was much lower than usual."Fuck, _fuck_ , fucking — where did she get you?"

  
"I'm... Fine .." You tried, but the sound of your teeth now chattering was an enough signal for him to know you were blatantly lying to him. Gently, he placed his palm over your injured shoulder only to jerk his hand back as you let out a scream of agony. Now he could smell and feel the wetness on his hand where he had touched you. That's when he realized that the impact of the striga's knee had dislodged your bone, that had pierced through your skin as was now protruding, and you seemed to have soaked through your leather shirt.

He growled, and placed his hands on the slab above you, and slowly began moving it. You reached out, placing your hand on his wrist.

"D-don't, Geralt, w-what are you doing?" You whispered.

"Killing that thing and getting you out of here."

  
"No, close that damn," you coughed, "slab, Geralt. All these efforts.. to.. to lift that fucking curse.. and you're.. you're going to kill her .. for what?"

  
Although he pulled it shut again, his frown was deep and lasting.

"I'm not going to let you die, even though you are stupid enough to walk yourself into a death trap."

  
You laughed, coughing and wincing at the same time as the movement caused the pain to flare again, making you still once more, "You're daft for a Witcher. I'm not.. dying. I'm conserving my energy.. a broken shoulder doesn't kill people."

  
His eyebrows almost flew upwards. You amazed him at times. Out of all the times you had been sassy with him, this was probably going to be the most memorable one for him.

When he didn't reply, you slowly let your uninjured hand travel through the cramped space up to his face, and you placed your fingers lightly against his jaw, tracing the outline of it. He blinking, glancing down at your fingers for a bit before looking back at you. His own fingers slowly, reluctantly traveled to the side of your face, as he began cupping your jaw, "Geralt, I'm not dying so soon. You think.. you're gonna get rid of me.. you're wrong."

  
He released a sound straight from his lungs; something between a growl and a snort, perhaps a mix of both as he let his head rest against you. The two of you stayed like that for a few seconds, and you were about to flutter your heavy eyelids shut when you heard his low voice, "Don't you fucking die on me."

  
"I'm cold, Geralt.." you whispered suddenly, and he propped himself up again on his elbow, "but you.. you're so warm. Like the sun."

  
He smiled, sadly, his thumb toying with the side of your cheek.

Geralt knew it wouldn't be long now before the rooster crowed three times and the sun would rise up, and the curse would be broken. He only begged, to anything or anyone that was listening to him, to give you the strength to hold on for a little longer. It was then he realized that you had dozed off.

You woke up with a shudder, and your body still hurt, even with every breath you took. The sun was now shining over your face and you realized that the slab above you was open, and Geralt wasn't anywhere beside you.

Slowly, you wiggled yourself slightly, but the pain in your shoulder made you bite down on your lip. You shook your head, and looked around, and your eyes fell on the bloody shirt fabric that was hanging loosely from your shoulder where your bone had ripped you. You pried the fabric off and fisted it into a ball stuffing it into your mouth so you didn't scream. You sat up, tears streaming down your eyes as you screamed into the cloth.

Geralt heard your screaming. He was kneeling down by the girl, now the curse having been lifted as he studied her face but at the sound of your scream, he jumped up to his legs and ran towards the structure, finding you seated, your shoulder red like cherry and a bone visibly popped out.

"Come on," he commanded, but he didn't let you stand up. Instead, he dived his beefy arm underneath your thigh and lifted you up effortlessly as he carried you out of the castle.

"What about her, Geralt?" You whispered.

"She is fine, someone will come for her."

* * *

You woke up in a castle, but this one was much different from the other one. Your eyes fell on your shoulder, and you realized that your shoulder had been dressed, the bone probably pushed back into its original place. Slowly, you craned your neck to see an older woman, definitely a healer for you could see all sorts of herbs stacked on the walls in jars.

When you asked her about what had happened, she told you how Geralt of Rivia had brought you to her. She told you how you had been in and out of a drugged sleep for almost four days now.

When you asked him where he was, she informed you that he was at the tavern, and you were free to leave although she did recommend you taking it easy and not embarking on tiresome journeys as your wound was still raw, and healing.

Pulling a shawl made of raw wool tighter around your shoulder, to keep it and yourself warm, you reached the tavern, immediately spotting the tall man from the back of his long white hair. He had his palm drawn towards the tavern owner who was trembling and placing coins one by one back into his palm.

"What's going on here?"

You gave him a lopsided grin, as he turned at the sound of your voice, and his lips twitched slightly. He eyed you carefully, his eyes lingering on your wounded shoulder for longer before he turned away his attention back on the owner, "Just getting what is mine."

  
"Can we leave this wretched place? We have had too much of a drama, and I really need to forget. Besides, the healer gave me a clear pass to travel, before you ask."

He smiled, bringing the pitcher of ale that he was drinking, up to his lips, and you saw his Adams apple move as he swallowed a mouthful. You groaned, grabbing the pitcher from his hand, and prying it away, throwing it up to your lips and chugging it all down, not leaving a single drop of ale for him.

"You witch, I should have never taken your cursed coin." The owner suddenly began, his beefy finger pointing to you.

You were met with a cracking noise and you couldn't help but give a smile of content when you saw Geralt's fist collide with the owner's jaw, making him topple backwards. "Want your coin?" Geralt asked you, his eyebrow raised in amusement and you smirked, shaking your head, "Nah, let it be. He will need all the coin to get that jaw treated. Though, I expected a better punch from you."

  
Though Geralt's lips were pressed in a firm line, the edges of it were drawn upwards as the two of you stepped out of the tavern. His heart sighed with relief and it was refreshing fir him to hear your voice again. He didn't want you to stop speaking, although he didn't say it out loud.

After a few minutes of a slow walk, you reached the stables and Geralt brought Roach out.

"Geralt? Will you let me ride her?"

_He always said no_. If there was anything Geralt didn't let you do, it was riding Roach. And so far, you were okay with it.

"Come here." He suddenly said, tapping on the mare's side, and your jaw dropped.

" _what_?"

  
"Come before I change my mind."

  
If you could have run towards him, you would have. If he could have lifted you up in his arms, he would have. All these would haves, but those really didn't really happen. What actually happened when you reached Roach's side, ready to lift yourself up on her, Geralt suddenly turned you towards him, and pressed you against the mare's side, his lips pressed to yours.

The kiss lasted only ten seconds, but you found yourself licking your lips when he broke it, tasting Geralt on you. He was smirking as he didn't say a word.

"What was that for?" You asked, licking your lips.

"For trying to get killed," he grumbled under his breath.

"You could have said, for trying to save my life. You're welcome, Witcher."

He only gave you an amused smirk, helping you get on the mare and took its reins as he started walking with it. You looked down at him, and blinked, giving him a smile and he raised his brow, his own lips turned upwards, "What?"

  
"Will you let me sleep in your tent now?" You bit your lip.

"Hm, only if you _promise not to snore_."


End file.
